Ways to Connect

Driving a school bus is important work with a lot of responsibility. Drivers have to get students to and from school, safely and on time. The hours are odd, a lot of patience is required and the pay isn't great. All reasons CMS officials often struggle to fill the positions, especially this year.

Charlotte School of Law Interim Dean Scott Broyles has resigned after less than a month on the job. Many students and faculty had viewed him as the last hope in saving the for-profit school. Broyles says it became increasingly clear that his role wasn't producing any good effect for the students.

Thirteen CMS low-performing schools are seeking flexibility from the state, similar to charter schools, in an effort to improve academically.

Thirteen Charlotte elementary schools are hoping to get some of the same flexibility as charter schools. It could be granted under the state’s Restart initiative, an effort to turn around academically struggling schools. CMS board members signed off on the applications but are divided on its merits.

Last week almost to the day of the one year anniversary of House Bill 2, a children’s book made some news. “Jacob’s New Dress" was initially picked to be a part of first graders' reading selection in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. But it was pulled after a teacher reportedly complained. Superintendent Ann Clark issued a vague statement citing “concerns” about the book.

What those concerns are exactly, depends on who you ask. The book’s main character is Jacob, a young boy who likes to wear dresses. The book explores how he navigates being picked on in school for doing so. Sarah and Ian Hoffman are the coauthors of the book; they live in California. WFAE’s Sarah Delia spoke to them about the decision to remove the book.

Facing outrage from Republican state legislators, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Tuesday reversed plans to use “Jacob’s New Dress,” a picture book about a boy who likes to dress like a girl, in four elementary schools.

The book had been selected as part of the anti-bullying program. After a teacher complained to lawmakers, Charles Jeter, the district’s government liaison, says he talked to both sides to “find a resolution without the General Assembly finding a resolution.”

Charlotte School of Law is on its way to becoming a non-profit. It's part of the plan to get the law school's federal loan money re-instated. WFAE's Lisa Worf has been following the school's struggles since the American Bar Association placed the law school on probation this past fall. She joins Morning Edition host Marshall Terry.

CMS board members working on update of the district's multiculturalism policy, to ensure the curriculum reflects the diverse student population.

Amendments to the policies that govern student reassignment and transfer requests will get a first reading at Tuesday night's Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board meeting. CMS board members will also take a first look at an update to the policy that seeks to make the district’s curriculum more culturally inclusive of all students.